The Coldwater Board of Public Utilities approved purchasing a rebuilt 1,500-kVA three-phase padmount transformer from Sunbelt Solomon for $51,170 to hold in stock as a contingency for the hospital and to support ongoing townwide voltage-conversion projects.

Operations staff explained the purchase is part of a strategy to maintain redundancy and quickly replace a transformer if one fails. Staff solicited bids from Sunbelt, Solomon (rebuilder), Stuart Irby and Border States and recommended Sunbelt Solomon due to lead-time considerations (nine weeks).

Staff said the rebuilds include warranties comparable to new units (three-year warranty) and that lead times for new units remain long industry-wide. The board approved the purchase and staff noted the transformer would be used to reduce outage durations during conversion work and as a contingency at other locations as conversions proceed over the next five years.